Page 88 of Dead & Breakfast
“Are those the keys to the cell?” Arthur whispered.
The mouse gave him a cutting look as if to sayObviously. It dragged them between the bars of the cell easily. Arthur picked them up, and a smile—a real one—spread slowly across his lips.
“Thanks, little friend. Just a moment and I’ll get you those chips.”
Slowly, so as not to make too much noise, Arthur found the right key and turned the lock. The cell door creaked open.
The sleeping deputy stirred. Arthur froze. Even the mouse didn’t move. The deputy exhaled a breath, then seemed to settle.
With careful steps, Arthur made it to the vending machine. They’d taken his wallet when he’d been arrested, so he cast his gaze about for an alternative. Next to the coffee station were two plastic cups labeledLord of the RingsandHarry Potter, both filled with loose change, probably for some office poll.
Arthur scoffed and whispered, “Not on my watch,” before emptying the latter into his hand. He slid the coins into the vending machine and selected the chips.
Unfortunately, he’d forgotten to account for how loud vending machines could be.
The mouse squeaked a warning, but it was too late.
The machine whirred to life and the bag of chips dropped and slid through the door at the bottom.
The deputy’s even breaths stopped. “Hey, what?” She lifted her head and blinked, bleary-eyed.
Arthur popped the bag open, tossed it on the ground, and said, “I do believe you have a vermin problem.” Then he bolted for the front door, the deputy swearing at the empty jail cell he’d left behind.
Arthur didn’t pause to look back. He didn’t have time to spare. Because he had a pretty good idea of why Dr.Young might have tried to kill his son…and if Arthur was right, the dentist was going to finish the job tonight.
Chapter 23
As Arthur rantoward the hospital, he almost expected flashing red and blue lights and a SWAT team to descend upon him or something comparably dramatic, but this was Trident Falls. No doubt the deputy would call McMartin, but Arthur had a head start. It would take a miracle for the sheriff to mobilize quickly enough to stop him. Plus, as Arthur’s legs carried him toward the hospital, he found his steps lighter and faster. It was as if his feet barely brushed the earth and…perhaps that was the case. After all, it was night, and his other powers had already started to prove active and useful.
Getting to the hospital was easy, but getting in and finding Brody Young’s room, well after visiting hours were over, wasn’t so simple. The hospital in Trident Falls was at the edge of town, its bright lights flooding the area no matter the hour. Arthur paused by the main entrance, searching the signage for a clue. On the glass covering the blessedly empty, and sadly locked, lobby was a sticker sporting black-and-white shapes inside a square—a QR code, Salvatore had once called it. In this moment and this moment only,Arthur wished he’d given in and let Salvatore buy him a smartphone. If he had one, he could at least call someone for help, though he wasn’t sure whom he’d call. Salvatore was long gone, and while Nora was acting mayor, she might not have enough sway with McMartin to get him to believe her.
Arthur turned away from the main entrance. It was late enough that he’d be noticed skulking around all the normal entry points. There had to be a better way inside. He was a vampire, after all, and a very resourceful one at that.
Lapping the outside of the building, Arthur spied the automatic doors of the emergency room entrance, and through them a bored-looking attendant behind a desk. That wouldn’t do—for once, Arthur didn’t want to make small talk. Instead, he looked for a back entrance. Voices floated to him along with the cloying scent of an artificial fruit flavor. Keeping to the shadows, he paused and spotted three hospital employees in mismatched scrubs talking near the back door. One of them held a vape pen, exhaling a sickly sweet vapor into the air. Arthur wrinkled his nose. He’d never been much for smoking or smoking-adjacent activities, but if one was to indulge, he was a firm believer in pipes. They had a sort of classic charm to them. Besides, Sherlock Holmes used one, and Arthur was reluctant to criticize anything the great Sherlock Holmes endorsed, fictional though he might be.
“Really gruesome head wound on the second floor,” said one of them.
“No way. I saw him come in. Barely had a concussion,” said the one with the vape pen. “You’ll have to do better than that, Carl.”
Arthur crouched behind a Volkswagen Bug in the parking lot to observe. He couldn’t enter without being noticed by the employees enjoying their break. Then again, maybe being seen wasn’t so bad—he could ask for directions. One of them was bound to knowwhat room Brody Young was in, and it was dark enough that they might not recognize him as a vampire. Perhaps he could even warn them directly of the danger to Brody’s life. Someone had to protect that boy.
“The guy in twelve sneezed earlier and blew his stitches. That was kinda gross,” said another wearing a surgical mask.
The first one, Carl, groaned. “I hate it when that happens.”
“Neither of those beats mine. Face it, kid bitten by vampire is the weirdest case we’ve had all week.” Vape pen held out his other hand, flashing a grin Arthur could see all the way from his hiding spot. “Pay up!”
The other two slapped money into his hand.
“One of these days I’ll get assigned to a cool paranormal case,” said surgical mask.
“You’re scared of your own shadow, man. They’re never letting you on the third floor.”
As Arthur debated his next move, the hospital employees made for the entrance, their break over.
It was now or never. A life was on the line.
The employees entered the building, leaving the door to slowly close behind them. Arthur darted forward, using all his vampiric speed, and thrust his hand into the gap just before the door shut. He heaved a sigh and pried it open a sliver so he could peek inside. The hallway was a symphony of depressing off-white with blue accents. Carts of supplies lined one side of it, and plain wooden doors were scattered along the walls. The employees on their break retreated down the hall, engrossed in conversation about some doctor who was getting a divorce. Arthur didn’t bother to listen to their gossip any further, though he could practically sense Salvatore’s disappointment as he slipped inside and let the door close softly behind him.
